SB 17-272

Senate Bill 17-272, also known as "Measures of Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness," aims to improve how Colorado measures whether high school graduates are ready for college or the workforce. The bill adds a new requirement that schools report on the percentage of students who demonstrate readiness without needing remedial classes in reading, writing, and math when they enter postsecondary education. This involves setting standards for different ways students can show their readiness, such as through test scores or other assessments. Since it has been signed into law, this bill is now active and schools are required to implement these new measures. This affects all public high schools in Colorado, including charter schools, by changing how they assess and report on student preparedness for college and careers.

Official Summary

Under existing law, one of the performance indicators for determining the level of performance of a public high school, a school district, the state charter school institute (institute), or the state is the degree to which high school graduates demonstrate postsecondary and workforce readiness. The performance indicator is currently measured by the high school's graduation and dropout rates; the percentage of high school graduates who receive a diploma with a postsecondary and workforce readiness endorsement; students' scores on the state assessments administered in grades 9 through 11, including the achievement college entrance exam; and the percentages of students who graduate and matriculate in the next school year into a postsecondary education option. The bill adds as an additional measure for determining attainment of the postsecondary and workforce indicator the percentage of students enrolled in high school who demonstrate college and career readiness, based on the demonstration options available to the students enrolled in each public high school, at a level that indicates that the student is prepared to enroll in postsecondary general education core courses in reading, writing, and math without needing remediation. The bill defines the demonstration options as those adopted by the state board of education in adopting the high school graduation guidelines. The state board must set achievement standards for each demonstration option that indicate the minimum achievement level required for high school graduation and a higher achievement level that indicates that the student is prepared to enroll in postsecondary general education core courses in reading, writing, and math without needing remediation. The bill requires each school district and the institute to report to the department of education the graduation requirements that the school district, each charter high school of the school district, and each institute charter high school adopts, including the options available to high school students for demonstrating college and career readiness. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

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